National coach Julian Nagelsmann has nominated newcomer Tim Kleindienst as well as the returnees Antonio Rüdiger, Serge Gnabry and Janis Blaswich for the Nations League games in Bosnia-Herzegovina and against the Netherlands. Blaswich (RB Salzburg) is intended as the third goalkeeper alongside Alexander Nübel and Oliver Baumann following the injury to Marc-André ter Stegen.
Baumann will definitely make his debut, but Nagelsmann clearly chose Ter Stegen as the World Cup goalkeeper in an accompanying video interview on Thursday. “He is our number one – and he will stay that way,” emphasized the national coach. “He’s doing well given the circumstances, the operation went well.” Ter Stegen is in an “extremely bitter situation, but he gets all the time he needs from us. That’s tragic, but I’m assuming he’ll come back in top shape next summer.”
:Just a sales candidate
Serge Gnabry had a tough preseason at FC Bayern – but he was able to convince all the skeptics at the club with sporting arguments. Even the national coach is probably planning to work with him again.
Bauman, 34, “deserved to get an international match” after a long wait, Nagelsmann announced. He has not yet decided whether the Hoffenheim player will be allowed to take over both games or whether Nübel will also make his debut. Kleindienst (Borussia Mönchengladbach) is a replacement for the injured Niclas Füllkrug, Gnabry returns after almost a year. Rüdiger had been missing recently and was given a break to recover.
Kleindienst, however, is joining the national team for the first time at the age of 29. “Tim Kleindienst showed good performances in the Bundesliga in Heidenheim for over a year, and he also did well at his new club Borussia Mönchengladbach. Among other things, he is very reliable defensively. He deserves it. Niclas Füllkrug’s injury is a good opportunity to test Tim, he can now prove himself,” said Nagelsmann. Füllkrug is currently out with an irritated Achilles tendon.
“We have minimal changes again. More from the situation that we have injured players and have to react,” said Nagelsmann. “Of course there are always small changes every now and then when a player is not in the flow.” Dortmund’s Emre Can and Maximilian Beier, who is supposed to play in the U21, are missing from the 23-man squad. The national team will gather in Herzogenaurach on Monday. After the duel with Bosnia-Herzegovina (October 11th) in Zenica, the DFB team will host the Netherlands in Munich (October 14th).
The squad
Tor: Alexander Nübel (VfB Stuttgart), Oliver Baumann (TSG Hoffenheim), Janis Blaswich (RB Salzburg)
Defense: Waldemar Anton (Borussia Dortmund), Benjamin Henrichs (RB Leipzig), Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich), Robin Koch (Eintracht Frankfurt), Maximilian Mittelstädt (VfB Stuttgart), David Raum (RB Leipzig), Antonio Rüdiger (Real Madrid), Nico Schlotterbeck (Borussia Dortmund), Jonathan Tah (Bayer Leverkusen)
Midfield: Robert Andrich (Bayer Leverkusen), Chris Führich (VfB Stuttgart), Pascal Groß (Borussia Dortmund), Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich), Aleksandar Pavlovic (Bayern Munich), Angelo Stiller (VfB Stuttgart), Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen)
Attack: Serge Gnabry (Bayern Munich), Kai Havertz (FC Arsenal), Tim Kleindienst (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Deniz Undav (VfB Stuttgart)